Huawei cracks tablet design with MediaPad X1 and M1 (hands-on)

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Huawei is the first to admit that it's late to the tablet game, but at this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona it's got two brand new offerings: the eight-inch MediaPad M1 and the seven-inch MediaPad X1.

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The smaller and sleeker of the two is also more expensive and Huawei and it's a seriously pocket-friendly device for a tablet. In fact, you could question whether it is a tablet at all. With the speaker at the top and the right data contract, you could potentially use the X1 as a phone if you were so inclined. Until now phablets have generally been phones that are big enough to almost be tablets; the X1 blurs the lines too, but from the opposite direction.

One of the most noticeable things about the design is the edge-to-edge screen and extremely slim bezel that makes sure no space is wasted. When Wired.co.uk went hands-on, it felt very light, very slim (it's only 7.18mm thick) and much more comfortable to hold in one hand than an iPad mini.

The X1 has the same screen resolution (1,280x920-pixels) as the most recent Nexus 7, offering a very pleasing 323 pixels per inch.

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On the rear is an impressive 13-megapixel camera, and on the front is a similar wide-angle 5-megapixel camera to the one on the freshly unveiled Ascend G6 smartphone.

Sadly the X1 does run an old version of Android (4.2 Jelly Bean), but Huawei tries to make up for this with the very latest 4G technology, which will allow you to take full advantage of the fastest speeds your network offers.

The basic X1 model will have 16GB of in-built memory that can be supplemented with a 32GB microSD card. Powering the tablet is a 1.6GHz quad-core processor and 5,000 mAh battery, which should give you an impressive amount of life (Huawei estimates 500 hours of standby or or 3.5 days normal use).

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A nifty trick that can be performed by both the X1 and the M1 is reverse charging. All you need is the right cable and you can plug your phone into your tablet, which will sap the juice from it, giving you extra life in an emergency.

Mediapad M1

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The M1, being the less expensive of the two, doesn't have quite the same impressive specs as the X1, and has a 4,800mAh battery instead. They do share the same 4G capabilities though. The M1 also has the same 1.6GHz quad-core processor.

The cameras have been significantly downgraded, with a 5-megapixel snapper on the back and a 1-megapixel counterpart on the front. At 1,280x800 pixels, the screen resolution has been knocked down a notch too, but will still let you watch HD video.

In terms of design it's a slim, attractive device, measuring only 7.9mm thick and looking very much like a cross between a HTC One and an iPad mini. This is no bad thing, given they are two very handsome devices; you certainly won't be ashamed to wave the M1 around in public. In fact, when we hands-on with both the new tablets, our overwhelming feeling was that Huawei's pretty much cracked this design business.

The M1 will be available in May in 8GB and 16GB models, which you will be able to boost with a 32GB microSD card. The X1, however, will go on sale in the second half of this year. No pricing information has been released yet for either tablet.